Parsad

He'll be fine. WWE or movies...he'll make as much money as he did playing football. Cheers!

Hi All, We are down to our last 20 tickets for this year's event. Please get them soon, as we will be out and will not be selling any at the door. Cheers! Sanjeev

Did Brian retire? No...no. But I suspect he's slowing things down a bit like Prem. A good question would be has Brian ever taken on a protege and who is it? Cheers!

The way it used to work before Wade Burton was appointed managing director was that they had 5-6 of the core group/old guard...Prem, Brian, Roger, Chandran, Sam & Francis (when he was there)...Tony Hamblin before Francis, etc. They would make the broad capital decisions after the senior analysts provided their reports. Prem would have the final say. Each of the analysts were given smaller amounts to deploy, while the old guard deployed the bulk of the capital and oversaw billion/multi-billion portfolios. They would also go through sessions on any capital ideas where others would try and kill the idea. If it passed, then capital is allocated. Today, I'm not sure exactly how it is done, but it may be worth asking at the next meeting. Paul is President of Fairfax, Wade is essentially the managing director, but some of the remaining old guard, including Prem, still oversee and provide advice. But I think the bulk of the capital decisions are now made by the next generation (Paul, Wade, Lawrence, etc). The one thing that Fairfax shareholders shouldn't worry about is succession. They've essentially passed on core duties now to Paul, Andy Barnard, Peter Clarke and Wade Burton. I think that eventual transition will be far smoother at Fairfax than at Berkshire or Markel. And in terms of the investing team...they won't be as good on the bond side as Brian was (but who in the world really is), but the bulk of them are Cundill proteges, worked for and with Fairfax's team and are very well-established value managers. Fairfax is extremely deep in nearly every part of their business! Cheers!

We already have that in place. If I get even one complaint of politics entering into a non-politic board/thread, I investigate. If it is something blatant, then it is removed (not moved). If it is something that is mentioned in passing, then I leave it. So the more complaints I get about a post, the more likely it will be removed. Politics should stay in the Politics section, and those that don't want to waste time with politics, always have the option (which is very easy to do and works extremely effectively) to ignore the Politics board altogether. If we don't have the "Politics" board, then I will be constantly getting complaints about politics in the Investment sections. The manpower needed to monitor that on a free site would no longer make the site free. Cheers!

Hi All, I made a mistake in the original post...I had the date as April 3rd. The correct date, which has been updated on the original post now, is April 10th...our usual time slot the night before Fairfax AGM. Thanks! Sanjeev

Hi Folks, Our 15th Annual Fairfax Financial Shareholder's Dinner is scheduled for The Gallery Room (4th Floor) of the Ritz Carlton Hotel on April 10th. Due to the number of events taking place and space availability at the Ritz, we have downsized the crowd size to no more than 80 guests. So please get your tickets early to ensure a spot! We also no longer have the "presentation only" option...the only ticket is a dinner ticket, and the Ritz has a lovely buffet set up. https://www.pdh-inc.com/2019-premier-fairfax-conference.html Due to the lack of adequate space, and the move of the Fairfax Africa meeting to the 2:30pm timeslot, the annual pre-dinner event has ended after last year. We would like to thank Francis Chou and all of our wonderful guests over the last decade who made that a terrific little event! Thanks and we'll see you there! Sanjeev

You guys are jackasses! ;D Here you have a man who was an optometrist, built up a company and then took the cash flow and invested it over time. It doesn't really matter what his results were like...he could be conservative or he could have shot the lights out. The main point is that he took a career and became entrepeneurial, and then through long-term investments built enormous wealth...that's it! Who give a rat's ass what CAGR he was compounding at? He wasn't going for the title of greatest investor of all time...just that people can achieve tremendous success by doing some simple things...even if you only achieve 1/100th of what he did in terms of wealth, you would be well off copying his behavior. Cheers!

Hi Investmd, I think the one conclusion you can draw about Fairfax, say compared to Berkshire, Markel, etc is that the talent pool at Fairfax is very deep. You have layer of quality manager upon layer, so succession is not an issue at Fairfax unlike Berkshire and Markel. Fairfax's investment and operations teams are huge! While the decisions are made at the top with the core group of managers at Hamblin-Watsa, you have managers below them that are very capable and have the expertise in regional markets. I also don't think you are going to get the huge swings we used to see earlier in Fairfax or Berkshire, where Prem or Buffett would make that one big acquisition/investment over and over. I see Fairfax now as a vehicle that will take the occasional big swing, but a lot of smaller swings in succession that will create returns and value over time. So imagine a less volatile Fairfax, and probably very diverse in terms of regional investments and insurance operations. That era of huge bets by Prem or Brian Bradstreet is coming to an end. It will be many smaller decisions that will move the needle in the future and a globally diversified entity...much earlier than Berkshire. Cheers!

Broad subjects like this belong in the "General Discussion" section, where I will move it to. It should not clutter the "Investment Ideas" board, where individual stocks are categorized by their ticker symbol. Cheers!

After an exhilarating night in Jaipur, we awake and make our way to Jaipur Airport for our flight to Bangalore. We arrive at the Bengaluru Airport...incredibly modern and very well designed. We are greeted by the entire BIAL executive team who walk us through the airport and outside to the Quad...their outdoor retail complex. Fairfax has essentially paid for 51% of BIAL's profits for the next 30 years, plus an option of another 30 years. They have 4,000 acres of land to work with and are pushing ahead with a much needed 2nd runaway and terminal, as well as a city centre with residential and commercial development. BIAL does about 25M passengers a year, putting it in the top 10, and is expected to hit 60M passengers in a little over a decade. It is as sophisticated as any top airport in the world, and it's outdoor plaza is an enormous outdoor retail centre where passengers are picked up and dropped. It keeps passenger traffic spread out and doesn't clog up the terminal. Also encourages visitors to spend dollars at the airport. From the Quad, we walk over to the Taj Bengaluru Airport for a fantastic lunch and presentation by BIAL's CEO, Hari Marar. From the airport, we travelled to the Taj Westend where we stayed overnight. In the evening, we had an amazing dinner hosted by Quess and its CEO, Ajit Issac. Quess is owned by Thomas Cook India and Fairfax directly, not through Fairfax India. The next morning, we flew from Bengaluru to Mumbai and arrived at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel...right across from the Gateway of India. Really a beautiful and fantastic hotel! The Leela Palace in Delhi, Rambaugh Palace in Jaipur and the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai...three extraordinary hotels with service to match! We had lunch and then went on a double-decker tour of Mumbai. Mumbai is extremely cosmopolitan. It is a city rich in history, architecture, art, food, music and people! 25M people coexisting, surviving and thriving...I loved it! In evening, we had a dinner hosted by Madhaven Menon, Chair of Thomas Cook India, at the Konkon Cafe. The next morning we enjoyed a presentation by the Dabbawala's and the great-great-grandson of the founder. The Dabbawala's are a cooperative of 5,000 employees who collect tiffin containers of lunch from the homes of 200,000 patrons, and deliver them by 1pm to the patron's office. They have a 99.999999% accuracy rate, and have been studied by Google, Amazon, Fedex, Harvard and a whole host of researchers and corporations. They employ a decades old color key code system that helps identify, location, building, address and patron. We learned about how they operate, their service to the community and visited one of their sorting sites during the lunch hour rush. Their existence comes from the fact that patrons cannot carry their lunch containers onto the frantic rush of people when they board trains and buses, as they need both hands to climb aboard and hold on...the essentially have 10 seconds to board. During lunch we enjoyed expansive presentations by Chandran Ratnaswami, Head of Fairfax India, Madhaven Menon, and CEO's of other Fairfax India companies, including the youngest CEO, Ragahav Agarwalia, CEO of Saurashtra Shipping. We covered Thomas Cook India, Sanmar, Fairchem, Saurashtra and Catholic Syrian Bank. I was most interested in Thomas Cook India and Catholic Syrian Bank. Two terrific businesses and Fairfax is the first foreign investor granted a majority stake in an Indian bank. They will have to dilute their ownership over time, but CSB (they are rebranding) will naturally be multiple times bigger as the do so. In the evening, we were taken to an old abandoned mill (Mukesh Mills) which was staged and decorated for a soiree hosted by Nirmal Jain and IIFL. It was stunning as we approached the mills, and inside was a beautiful event staged in pink hues, a jazz band/singer playing, bar and fantastic dinner. We enjoyed an extensive presentation by IIFL. Very, very exciting around its business and prospects. Stunning growth, and we all know what a great business the wealth management business is! All 45 attendees had a spectacular time. Other than the occasional bout of stomach flu, no one had been on such a trip in their lifetime. We packed a ton into each day, and saw, heard and experienced the wonders of India. For investors, we walked away understanding India better and the opportunities available. For travellers, they enjoyed such a broad and diverse culture, food, art, music and history. I cannot thank enough Vinodh Loganadhan, Madhaven Menon and his team at Thomas Cook India, and Manoj Pamneja! They made this a trip of a lifetime for everyone that went, and took special care of each and everyone of us. It was executed with near military precision and we walked away changed forever! Thanks to Fairfax and everyone involved! Cheers!

We stayed at four of the top ten...also Taj Palace Mumbai and Oberoi Mumbai. The Oberoi Mumbai was not part of the tour, but I stayed a couple of extra days in Mumbai and added it. Extraordinary hotels, but the service put them all over the top. You have very nice hotels in the U.S., but the service is nothing like what we experienced in India! Cheers!

We awake for breakfast and then depart by coach to the Amer Fort. Jaipur's traffic seems a bit more serene than Delhi's with much less honking and cars running red lights. We arrive at the base of the Amer Fort and Jeeps are used to ascend the winding and steep pathway to the entrance. The interesting thing about the Fort is its self sufficiency. It was meant to withstand a siege, with grain and food storage, it's own water supply from deep wells and secure ramparts. From the Amer Fort we travel to a fairly large jewelry shop, and are given a crash course in precious, semi-precious stones, and how they are cut. After the presentation, we are provided the opportunity to purchase jewelry from the store, while being served refreshments. It's both amazing and sad to remember that India at one time had vast resources of gems, gold, silver, etc...it was the richest nation several times in the last 2,000 years for centuries at a time. From the jewelry store, we travel to to hotel Samode Haveli, where we enjoyed a beautiful lunch on a sunny, open, courtyard terrace. There was a festival in Jaipur, and residents were flying hand-made kites all over the city. Some would cut off other kites, and we had a few land on the terrace. Quite an Indian experience! After a brief respite back at Rambaugh Palace, everyone prepared for an evening visit to the City Palace, where the Prince of Jaipur resides. Fairfax (TCI) adorned all of the men with colorful turbans and the women received beautiful scarves. We loaded up the coaches and made our way to City Palace. As we enter City Palace, a large procession of elephants, horses, riders, and drummers lead us around the Palace courtyard a couple of times. We then enter an area that illuminates what the Prince's living room would have looked like in the past. After which, we are guided to a huge beautiful open courtyard, lit up and prepared for a banquet. A handful of performers dance for us, and then the entire crowd is pulled into a large dance circle. After which, we are provided a sumptuous dinner, drinks and dessert. We leave City Palace and are transported back to Rambaugh Palace. The night leaves everyone thrilled and mesmerized!

Yeah, I highly doubt that that's a good decision. Giving up on value investing sure, most people can't beat the market, and the sooner you realize you aren't one of them the better. But I think the conclusion of Muscleman that "value investing" doesn't work, but perhaps something else does, is 100% the wrong conclusion. If you can't handle value investing, arguable one of the easiest ways of active investing!, I doubt an alternative active approach is a wise step. Especially since all the point why his value investing doesn't work also apply at basically anything else. Some of them even at passive investing! If you can't psychologically handle the risk and the losses that are inherent to stocks it doesn't matter what your strategy is, your problem isn't going away. Everyone should do what is best for them, but I fully agree with the above comment. Cheers!

We arrived bright and early at the Delhi Train Station. Looked relatively empty until we got closer to departure time. Suddenly, the throng of commuters became apparent and we were surrounded by people. We quickly boarded our private car in the Gatiman Express and made our way to Agra at a top speed of 160 km/h. After arriving in Agra, our coaches took us on a short trip to the entry way of the Taj Mahal complex. We then shifted to small golf carts that took us right to the Taj Mahal Gateway. Agra was quite different than Delhi. The air was much cleaner, and the city less dense. The one thing we noticed while travelling on the train to Agra was that there was huge amounts of land between the cities where the population was far less dense. As we disembarked our golf carts and made our way through the Gateway, the stunning view of the Taj Mahal left us all breathless. Magnificent, grand, towering, gleaming in a white alabaster aura as the sun reflected off of it. It was a postcard moment, and again, a nod to the stunning architectural brilliance of India. Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal over 22 years with his own private wealth in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz. The laborers were all paid very well in their time, and the engineering marvel was their crowning glory! How could Indians not look on the Taj Mahal, and believe that anything is possible for them! After the Taj Mahal, our coaches took us for lunch, and then on to a military airport, where we caught our private chartered flight to Jaipur. After arriving in Jaipur, we made our way to the historic and stunning Rambaugh Palace, which is an oasis smack in the middle of the city. We are warmly greeted by the staff of the Rambaugh Palace and performers. Everyone has a specific staff member who guides them to their room and gives an overview of the hotel. What was originally the living quarters of the Prince of Jaipur, became a hotel after the Prince realized he needed to improve his cash flow to maintain his lifestyle. The grounds are stunning, and one can only imagine how a single person lived on this property with only his staff waiting on him! Again, the disparity between the "haves" and the "have nots" is deafening...more so than in North America!

After breakfast in the Qube Restaurant at the Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi, we made our way on coaches to Old Delhi. A significant amount of spice, nut, grain trading still occurs here in the wholsale market. At one time, India accounted for 25% of global GDP...I suspect India and China combined, will do that once again within a couple of decades. Old Delhi and our rickshaw rides through it, were in stark contrast to the modern, sophisticated touch of say the Leela Palace Hotel. This was India as well, very different than what we saw previously and what we will see going forward. If nothing, India truly is a study in contrasts...it's people, economies, cities, culture, dialects, etc! Old Delhi was a clear view of what will have to change in the future. Modi's attempts at getting accountability from all citizens is essential...pay your taxes, pay your fair share of utilities, etc. The barrage of utility wires you see intertwined between small low-rise buildings and hanging over the central walkways and thoroughfares is mind boggling. How do you even tell which wire leads to which home?! From Old Delhi, we headed over to a terrific Asian cuisine restaurant called Spice Route. There we met up with the team from Fairfax India, including Chandran Ratnaswami, head of Fairfax India. After lunch, we made a visit to UNESCO heritage site Qutab Minar, which was built in the 12th century. A spiraling, majestic minaret, that showcased the tip of the iceberg of Indian engineering and construction feats! After a brief respite back at the hotel, we all made our way to Canada House, where the High Commissioner of Canada in India, Nadir Patel, was waiting for us. We had a wonderful dinner in an open courtyard of Canada House. Nadir spoke about the potential of Indian-Canadian relationships, and we met a number of Canadian who offered their contacts to help facilitate business in India. From Canada House, we headed back to the Leela Palace Hotel for some rest before departing to Agra the next morning!

Sorry folks, I've been fighting a bad case of Montezuma's Revenge for the last three days, and am taking antibiotics. I have a ton of posts and pictures I will put up probably in the next couple of days while in Mumbai. The trip has been extraordinary...barring the stomach issues...I think all participants have been blown away by what we've seen. BIAL alone in the Fairfax India portfolio would have been great, but add Catholic Syrian Bank, IIFL, SanMar, etc and it's a great portfolio. But you have to on the ground here...you cannot do it just from overseas...knowing the culture, politics, economics, etc all play a part. Cheers!

Flew into Delhi's Mahatma Ghandhi Airport on Cathay Pacific. As we approach our landing, it becomes very obvious that there is a tremendous amount of smog...you could see it at night, hovering over the city and its residents! Delhi Airport looks a bit dated, but is cleaner than I expected. Our attendant from the Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi greets us after the baggage pickup and guides us to our BMW 5 Series car and driver. As we walk through the terminal, it is much more modern than the area we walked through after disembarking the plane. As we exit the Airport parking, Delhi's traffic becomes glaringly obvious. It's about 10:30pm, but the roads look like rush hour in New York. Drivers jostle for space, as there is no such thing as lanes anymore...the lines are there for foreign rental car drivers...Indians don't seem to use them as cars, motorbikes, trucks, tuk-tuks all fight for their little gap to drive through. Unlike North America where a honk usually is accompanied with the "finger", the honks here in Delhi's traffic are simply a warning to let other driver's know you are there. We drive into the Leela Palace Hotel's driveway, and there is a security checkpoint. The staff open our doors after the checkpoint, and we get out and are greeted warmly, and then guided to the security screening and metal detector. The staff opens the hotel doors and we are led into the hotel, where a hostess continues the warm salutations and places a fresh flower garland around our necks. The lobby is magnificent! I struggle once again with the concept of seeing the two very diverse sides of India...the vast amount of wealth and luxury, and the abject poverty that breaks ones heart. Tonight is luxury...I'm certainly not complaining! The next morning, after a nice breakfast in the hotel, we hired a driver for two hours to take us around Delhi. We visited Humayan's Tomb, the Presidental Palace, Parliament Buildings, Connaught Place, India Gate, etc. For my Mom, who I brought with me, this was a trip of contrasts. She last came to India 36 years earlier with my Father back in 1982. The Ambassador cars and tuk-tuks were mostly replaced now with Hyundai's, Kias, Tatas, BMW's, Mercedes and Suzuki's. While the historical sites remain, it is clear that Delhi is going through something. The question is whether it is China 15 years ago, or just India going through another cycle. For me, the smog is the most obvious characteristic. It is noticeable in every way possible...visually, by smell, and literally touch as the residue shows up each morning when you take a shower and blow your nose! I remember the smog over Los Angeles in the 70's. It was bad, but was never as thick as what floats above Delhi. Beijing after a 5-day dry spell around summer comes closest to mind. Contrary to opinion, the Chinese have done a remarkable job in terms of air quality over the last decade...India will have to do the same...more electric/hybrid cars, buses, scrubbers and clean energy. It's not a question of "if", but "when" India will pour more money into these initiatives. After 60 years, like China, India under Modi is being forced to change. Disposable income is increasing, the obvious young population of India is optimistic and driven...and like China, India is going to have to pour massive amounts of capital into infrastructure, housing and energy. Prem estimated at the last AGM, that India needs 40 km of new roads every single day. That may actually be an understatement! Along with roads you need all other components of infrastructure to complement it...schools, hospitals, sewers, water, electricity, etc. There is a trickle down effect when the country spends enormous amounts of capital on infrastructure, and India either has to spend trillions or fall behind. After touring the city, we make our way back to the hotel. I decided to go for a swim in the Leela Palace Hotel's rooftop infinity pool. As I swim in the stunning pool with nearly 360 degree views of Delhi city,, listening to the feint honks of cars 14 stories below, I can only wonder what India will look like 10-20-30 years down the road. Total population between India and China is relatively close today, yet less than 400M Indians have internet access, while over 750M Chinese have internet access. India's population is far younger than China's, and while there remains rampant corruption, India does have the rule of law, democratic elections, enforceable courts and strong property rights. That can't be said about China! Change is here! Can we identify what and who succeeds in India over the next 20-30 years? Cheers!

I will be doing a blog in this thread for 7 days regarding the Fairfax Financial Shareholder's India Trip. About 45 of us are going on this tour, which will include tours of Indian cultural sites and meetings with Fairfax India company executives. I will record our adventure, including photos of the trip. Cheers!

Merry Christmas everyone! Thanks for all of your contributions and support through the year. All the best! Cheers!

And theoretically, Belichick did the correct thing (based on probabilities) by putting Gronk in the backfield to catch a hail Mary. Guess what? He was the pylon sitting there as the player ran by him for the touchdown! Calculated risk? That ended up being one hell of an insurance loss! ;D Cheers!

Hi BG, You can go to your "Profile"/"Account Settings"/"Modify Profile"/"Ignore Board Options"...then just select the "Politics" board. Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving to our U.S. colleagues! Cheers!

Thanks John! Yes, that is the correct answer. One of our largest partners who made up over 30% of the Canadian fund pulled out shortly after we invested in PDH...I was also sorry to hear he passed away from a form of cancer a few months later. But that hurt our liquidity when things started to go south with PDH. After struggling to reduce the position size and rebalance the fund, we realized we were doing a disservice to our Canadian partners...especially with our size and operating costs. So we liquidated the Canadian fund, distributed the assets and made four of our partners who had invested in the last few years 100% whole with our own money. All of the partners walked away with 100% of their original capital or far better...which makes us proud! We chose to close the fund and so we felt that was the right thing to do. With the U.S. fund, we actually were able to rebalance the fund as we had maintained liquidity and didn't have a large partner redeem like the Canadian fund. With capital put in by Prem and our existing partners, excellent results on our non-PDH assets for the last 3 years (averaged about 29% annualized), we were able to stay about even as we faced PDH's challenges...essentially we lost about $5M in PDH value and made about $6M in non-PDH value over the last 3 years. The U.S. fund is not going to be closed, operates at less than a 30 basis point expense ratio, and it's actually in excellent shape with PDH making up about 12% of assets and the rest non-PDH, liquid, mid-large cap equities. We believe the fund is trading presently at about 55% of intrinsic value and are more than happily accepting new partners! So, yes we threw in the towel with the Canadian fund (which was one-tenth the size of the U.S. fund), but have no plans to throw in the towel with the U.S. fund or PDH. And this message board isn't going anywhere either! Cheers!

LotsofCoke started the discussion about Marvel on this message board back when it was the MSN Value Investing board about 15 years ago. I remember he bought a ton of shares for himself and his children around 50 cents to $2. He argued that there was an enormous catalogue of intellectual property that was now going to be monetized into movies. I don't think anyone, including Stan Lee himself, imagined that the Marvel movie machine engine would be as prolific or as good as it is today. I used to run around our house as a four year old dressed up in a Spiderman outfit. Now my four old nephew runs around the house dressed up as Spiderman or Black Panther on any given day! Cheers Stan Lee!